Straw-braid-sewing machine



(No Model.) V

I I. H. GONYON.

STRAW BRAID. SEWING MACHINE.

No. 513,500. Patented Jan. 30, 1894.

Units AT FFIC IRA H. GONYON, OF WESTBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TOTHE WILLCOX & GIBBS SEWING MACHINE COMPANY, OF NEW YORK.

STRAW-BRAlD-SEWING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 513,500, dated January30, 1894.

Application filed August 14, 1 8 93.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, IRA H. GONYON, of Westborough, Worcester county,Massachusetts,have invented a newand useful Improvement inStraw-Braid-Sewing Machines, which is fully set forth in the followingspecification.

The present invention has reference to mechanism employed in sewingstraw-braid or other material in the form of strips, and

particularly in machines of the same general character as described inLetters-Patent No. 246,700, granted September 6,1881, to Charles H.Willcox, and No. 269,251, granted December 19, 1882, to the Willcox &Gibbs Sewing Machine Company as assignee of Charles E. Wilkinson.

7 The construction and operation of the machines described in the latterpatent are such that the stitches uniting adjacent braids or strips areconcealed under the edge of the overlying braid or strip, and do notappear on the right side of the article. This result is accomplishedmainly by the action of a turning-up guide which bends or turns up theouter edge of the overlying or concealing braid permitting the needle tostitch the braid which is at the edge of the work to the underlying orentering braid in such manner that the stitches are concealed when theupturned braid resumes its normal position. This turning-up guide hasbeen attached in some instances to the workplate and in others to thepresser-foot. In either case, to insure itsproper working, great careand fine workmanship were required to give its part the necessary shape.

The object of the present invention is to produce a similar result (towit, a concealed stitch) by means difierent from those above referredto, and which have the advantage of simplicity in construction andsomewhat greater ease and convenience in use.

Instead of employinga separate turning-up guide, for the purpose abovestated, the presser-foot is, according to the present invention,provided with a groove extending horizontally along the side upon whichthe main body of the work lies, and which may appropriately be termedthe .outer side of the foot. This groove forms a horizontal lip alongthelower edge of the side of the presser foot, which lipSerialNo-483,05l. (N0 model.)

in operation lies between the concealing braid and the middle braid(that at the outer edge of the work) and performs functions analogousto, but not identical with, those of the turning-up guide of themachines referred to. The bottom of the groove (that is the verticalside of the presser foot between the two lips) constitutes a guide forthe edge of the concealing strip,'which heretofore has been bent up, butnot guided alongits edge. The effect of the separating lip lying underthe edge of this braid is to tilt the entire braid with reference to themiddle braid (instead of bending or turning up the outer edge of thesaid concealing braid), the middle braid being held in a horizontalposition while being stitched to the entering braid. The groovecontaining the concealing braid permits the edge of said braid to bebrought very close to the needle, and as the latter descends it slightlycompresses this edge, whose elasticity or spring permits its beingpushed back a little while passing the needle. Thus the stitches areplaced just far enough under the edge of the concealing braid to behidden from view on the right side of the article.

The construction of the improved presserfoot and its operation informing a hat or other article from a continuous strip or braid, can bemore readily explained with the aid of the accompanying drawings, inwhich Figure 1, is aperspective view of the presserfoot tilted to exposethe under side. Fig. 2 is a cross-section through the needle-hole, theparts being greatly enlarged to illustrate their operation. Fig. 3 is across-section taken behind the needle. Fig. 4 is a front elevation. Fig.5 is a top plan view, and Fig. 6 is a side elevation.

The resser-foot A is designed as a whole to be secured by means of aclamp-screw T), in the usual way, to the presser-bar F of a suitablesewing-machine, such as a Willoox 8r Gibbs straw sewing-machine. Exceptas particularly pointed out herein, the presser-foot is constructed asdescribed in Letters Patent .No. 269,251, above referred to, so that thepresent description will be confined mainly to the improvements embracedin the invention claimed herein. The foot is provided along its outsideedge with a horizontal groove formed between the two lips or flanges cd. The upper lip (1 projects outwardly a greater distance than the lowerlip 0, so that while the former will overlie the'greater part of theconcealing braid, the latter will extend only a short distance beyondthe edge thereof on its under side. These relative dimensions, however,are variable. The groove extends from the end of the toe v of thepresser-foot backward past the needle-hole, terminating at the rear ofthe foot A. The needle-hole j intersects the bottom of the groove, theaxis of the needle a being nearly in the plane of the bottom of thegroove, so that the blade of the needle, in its descent, will slightly,but not injuriously, compress the outer edge of the concealing braid g(Fig. 2 which edge is guided by the bottom of the groove.

The other parts of the device shown in the drawings are or may beconstructed substantially as described in Patent No. 26 9,251 abovereferred to. I H is the work-guide, against which bears the edge of thebraid f last sewed to the main body of the work, and M is the separatorextending horizontally from the forward end of guide H. The latter iscarried by a plate B which makes a tongue-and-groove joint withpresser-foot A.

D represents the set-screw, E the spring washer, and C the adjustinglever for moving the work-guide H toward and from the needle.

G represents the guide for the incoming braid, and is attached, asheretofore, to the throat plate K.

The operation will be readily understood from the foregoing explanation.

The article being begun, the work is placed under the presser-foot asshown in Fig. 2, in such manner that the middle braid f lies under thelip c with its edge against the workguide H, the incoming braid e whichis about to be stitched to braid f lies under plate B and guide H, withits edge against guide G, and the concealing braid 9 lies in the groovebetween lips c and cl with its edge against the bottom of the groove.These dispositions se cure perfect control of the work during thesewing. It will be observed that the middle braid flies in a horizontalposition during the 50 sewing and that the overlying braid g (as well asthe braids h and it), is inclined upward at an angle with braid f, butis not bent or turned up at its outer edge.

The device shown and described is the best embodiment of the principleof the invention known to me, but it admits of modification in detailsof construction, and such modifications would not constitute a departurefrom the spirit of the invention.

I claim- 1. A presser-foot for a straw-sewing machine, having a groovealong one of its sides forming a horizontal lip extending past theneedle-hole in the line of feed and adapted to enter between twoadjacent braids or strips, substantially as and for the purposedescribed.

2. A presser-foot having along its outer side or edge a horizontalgroove whose bottom constitutes a guide for the edge of the concealingstrip, and provided with a needle-hole whose axis is approximately inthe plane of the bottom of said groove, substantially as described.

3. A presser-foot provided with a toe projecting forwardly in front ofthe needle-hole, and having a transverse groove along its outer sideextending from the point of said toe backwardly past the needle-hole,substantially as described.

4:. A presser-foot having along its outer side two lips forming betweenthem a groove to receive the concealing strip, the upper lip projectingoutwardly beyond the lower lip, sub stantially as described.

5. The combination with the presser foot having along its outer edge ahorizontal groove, extending past the needle-hole and constituting aguide for the edge of the concealing braid, of a work-guide carried byand adj ustable upon said presser foot, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence oftwo subscribing witnesses.

IRA H. GONYON. Witnesses:

W. A. REED, O. K. NEWTON.

